Residents Learn How To Deal, Get Rid Of Iguanas

May 6, 2009|MISSY DIAZ sun sentinel staff writer

Leapin' lizards. Literally.

More than 100 people showed up at the Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service building west of West Palm Beach April 28 to learn about everything iguana. There was information ranging from what plants are most vulnerable to an iguana palate to how to harass and euthanize them if they become a nuisance.

Some options? A "Super Soaker" filled with ice water, a tether ball attached to a rope and the "ever popular broom or mop." While euthanasia is an option for some, there are strict guidelines governing the method, Bill Kern Jr., a University of Florida associate professor of entomology and nematology, told the crowd.

"Whack them in the head, stun them and then decapitate them," he said. "Whack them in the head more than once and it's animal cruelty."

The harassment and euthanasia discourse elicited a question from an audience member: "Can you whack them with a machete?" a man asked, drawing roars of laughter from the crowd.

The iguana population now numbers in the hundreds of thousands in the southern portion of Florida, Kern said. The balmy weather here keeps the reptiles, native to South and Central America, from going any farther than the Interstate 4 corridor in Orlando.

For two hours, Kern talked about the iguanas found in the Sunshine State. Most abundant is the commonly seen green iguana, "a cute lizard" that lives 15 to 22 years, grows up to 6 feet long and defecates about a pound of feces a day.

And coming to a neighborhood near you is the Nile Monitor, a relative of the Komodo dragon. Indigenous to Africa, the 7 1/2-foot-long, 22-pound reptile strongly resembles a prehistoric species and preys on baby crocodiles for food.

Kern drew a gasp or two from the crowd when he flashed a photo of one spotted in Southwest Ranches.

The biggest complaints about iguanas seemed to be their poop, which contains salmonella, and their love of decorative plants - hibiscus and orchids are their favorites.

Sally Robinson, of Boca Raton, came to find out how to deal with the "deposits" iguanas leave in her yard.

Al Cohen, of Manalapan, wanted to find out how to get rid of the six iguanas pestering his three dogs and his property.

At the symposium, Cohen purchased three bottles of Iguana-Rid, a spray bottle with a logo of an iguana with a red circle with a line through it.

The spray is the brainchild of Mark Streisfeld, a board member of The Palms at Boca Pointe, west of Boca Raton. The retired inventor said he came up with the concoction after repeated complaints from homeowners. It has been on the market about a month and is a hot seller, he said.

Cohen had high hopes for it.

"If this doesn't work, I'm going to the shooting range," he joked.

It's still legal to own an iguana in Florida, though there's a movement to more strictly regulate ownership.

"The pet industry dealing with reptiles and amphibians is a multimillion dollar industry," Kern said.

Palm Beach County commissioners have asked state wildlife officials to require a $100 permit and microchipping for lizards longer than two inches, but wildlife regulators say doing so would have no effect on the out-of-control population because so many of the reptiles already live and reproduce here, according to Bobby Seals, a Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control officer.

Iguanas are not very popular guests at the county shelter, Seals said, explaining that they are typically euthanized right away "unless they have a collar, a microchip or a friendly personality."

If that's the case, they get a five-day reprieve before either being adopted or euthanized. Animal Care and Control euthanized 55 iguanas in the past year and six in the past 30 days, Seals said.